Team MGA: Ethan Yao, Josh Yan, Zach Berger, Callahan Fay.
TENAFLY, N.J. (August 11, 2026) — A 6-under 66 from Ravi Desai placed himself and his Western Pennsylvania Golf Association squad atop both the individual and team leaderboards after Tuesday’s first round of the 62nd Williamson Cup at Knickerbocker Country Club.
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Desai used six birdies and an eagle while also adding a double bogey to tally his 66, which was four clear of six players – including the MGA’s Ethan Yao of Manhasset, N.Y. – that carded 2-under 70s.
Western Pennsylvania finished the morning at 5-under, counting three of their team’s four scores, while Maryland Golf Association wasn’t far off the pace, carding a 3-under team total. Maryland was led by a 2-under round by Benjamin Spencer and a 1-under tally from Jack Kelley.
The MGA finished the morning round at 2-over as a team, to sit in fifth place. Zach Berger and Josh Yan both carded 2-over rounds, with Callahan Fay’s 6-over score not counting. The afternoon round is underway.
The Williamson Cup is making its return to the Met Area for the first time since 2013, when the MGA hosted at Sleepy Hollow.
The MGA last won the event in 2015, when Ryan Davis, Brent Ito, Ethan Ng, and John Felitto came away with the title from Saucon Valley Country Club. That was the MGA’s third win in a five-year span. This year’s quartet of Zach Berger, Callahan Fay, Josh Yan, and Ethan Yao will look to capture the title while being the host association.
The Williamson Cup was established in 1964 by A. Fred Williamson in memory of his father, one of the original founders of Winged Foot Golf Club and a long-time member of the USGA Executive Committee. The inaugural event was held at Winged Foot, contested by the four charter Williamson Cup Association Members from Metropolitan New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Buffalo. By 1968, the Williamson Cup welcomed teams from Canada. Though the participating associations have varied somewhat during the 60-plus-year history of the Williamson Cup, the core values have been maintained. Over the years, lasting friendships have developed between contestants and teammates after competing in such a special event.
